Echinacea

Another example of a poorly-designed “wildflower” seed mix to entice the public to engage in conservation efforts with Cheerios’ #BringBackTheBees campaign (see previous post on DuneCraft’s “Native” Perennial Seed Bombs). Really, how hard is it to consult an ecologist or botanist for efforts like these? And what a lesson in providing both common and scientific names. It’s …

This morning my boss brought this gem into work. Seed Bombs by DuneCraft. They’re little balls of clay and who knows what else mixed with what this (American) company has deemed a “native perennial mix” of seeds. At first I thought, awesome! But no, in reality, it’s a mishmash of primarily weedy European wildflowers, at …

Photos from Maramech Woods Nature Preserve / Maramech Forest Preserve on March 26th, 2012. The flatwoods is rife with Symplocarpus foetidus (skunk cabbage, foreground) and Caltha palustris (marsh marigold, background). Although the entire forest preserve is approximately 90 acres, about half of it is a dedicated Nature Preserve (48 acres). Additionally, approximately 70 acres are …